


creature comforts

by Solovei



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Drabble, Fluff, Gen, I wanted them to have at least one significant interaction before the kidnapping, If anyone is the "mother figure" to Nile its definitely Nicky, Missing Scene, Nicky is a Good Person y'all, Nicky mentions his past as a priest, Nile is mostly overwhelmed and confused, POV Nile Freeman, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:01:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25550257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Solovei/pseuds/Solovei
Summary: "It is a lot to understand," said the one called Nicky. "I think you should get some rest."Nile thought that was an understatement.
Relationships: Nile Freeman & Nicky | Nicolo di Genova
Comments: 19
Kudos: 271





	creature comforts

**Author's Note:**

> In my repeated viewings of the film, I noticed that just before Nile wakes up from her nightmare, there's a few frames of her sleeping, and you can see a cup with a toothbrush just beside her bed. I got... very obsessed with that toothbrush, weirdly. Where did it come from? Did someone give it to her? Who would have done that? Probably not Andy. Nicky seemed like an obvious choice, so I wrote this.
> 
> Beta by [galvelociraptor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/galvelociraptor/pseuds/galvelociraptor) and [VermilionRed](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VermilionRed/profile). Thank you both!

"It is a lot to understand," said the one called Nicky. "I think you should get some rest."

Nile thought that was an understatement. It was almost noon when she met this woman, Andy, but after she got knocked out (not to mention shot), Nile had lost all track of how much time had passed. How long had she been awake for? It could have been 12 hours, or 100.

"Come with me, I'll show you," he added, getting up from his chair. 

Nile didn't have it in her to argue as she followed him to the back room, where several low beds were pushed together amongst random lamps, cupboards, stacks of books, and tapestries. Everything looked about as old as them, Renaissance sculptures and Victorian furniture clashing together. It reminded her of her first apartment, if her first apartment had been part of a movie set in some bohemian squatter shack. 

"Andy had told us you'd be coming, so I tried to get everything ready for you." Nicky said, nodding towards one of the beds. It looked freshly made, with pillows and a red blanket.

She should have been exhausted. A week ago, if someone offered her an actual bed she would have fallen into it in a split second and would be asleep before her head hit the pillow. But now… well, things were different now. She felt a heaviness in her limbs, but her brain kept grinding away, trying to process everything she heard, being pulled in a million directions at once. 

"Oh, this is for you," Nicky said, holding something out to her. Nile reached forward and grabbed it, and it took her a strangely long moment to realize what it was—a toothbrush, still in its packaging. An absolutely run of the mill toothbrush, white with some swooping green accents. This man who had fought in the goddamn Crusades was giving her a _toothbrush_. The sheer fucking _impossibility_ of it. Did people even brush their teeth in that century?

Still, Nile felt kind of rude for not saying anything. If she ignored everything else, it was actually kind of a nice gesture. “Thanks,” she managed to get out.

Nicky nodded as if it was no big deal. Some part of her wondered if for him, it wasn’t. "Bathroom's just through there," he explained, pointing to a door leading to the right; it was slightly ajar, but the room beyond was dark. “Oh, and Nile?” 

She had let her gaze wander back over the beds, suddenly noticing details she hadn’t before. The one near the wall had a small leather-bound notebook on it, some scattered pencils. It looked slightly wider than the others. The one directly next to it was the most in disarray, missing a pillow. If she looked closely she could see an empty green glass bottle hidden in the corner. The one that Nicky had indicated was hers looked no different from the others (apart from the missing bottle), but she didn't want to displace anyone. The red blanket looked soft and warm, a reminder of simple pleasures. There was another bed near the opposite wall, that looked barely slept in. She wondered who that one belonged to.

Caught unawares slightly, and not sure why she was even so curious about these people she just met, Nile turned back to look at him. Just past Nicky, in the other room where they were still eating, she saw Andy open a bottle of some kind.

“Yeah?”

“I noticed your necklace. If you ever want to talk about… ‘the supernatural’, as Andy puts it, I have some experience in that area.”

“What, you were some kinda god too?”

“Not exactly. But I was a priest, once. Before I died. The first time, I mean. Before… all of this.” 

“I’ll uh…. Keep that in mind, I guess.” 

“Sleep well, Nile.” 

And with that, Nicky turned to go, closing the doors behind himself slightly so the sounds of their voices would not keep her awake.

She sighed, ripped open the plastic packaging, and headed off to brush her teeth. 


End file.
